As a Heroic Spirit, Altera possessed two Noble Phantasms.
One had already been used in the Underworld: it embodied the might and terror of Attila the Hun, feared across all of Europe, a weapon formed from the fusion of the epithet "the Scourge of God" with the legend of "the Sword of War God."
At the same time, it was the Sword of War God itself—a Noble Phantasm that could annihilate all that existed upon the earth, unleashing rainbow-colored beams of mana like meteors, surging forward in wide-ranging destruction.
A Noble Phantasm of Anti-Army class, ranked A.
The other Noble Phantasm, however, was the Sword of War God's true power.
The shining blade was in truth no more than a pointer, a device to designate the target. When its true power was released, it would call down an immense pillar of light from distant orbit, striking the location Altera had chosen, obliterating everything within.
In other words, it was a satellite-orbital laser bombardment.
This attack was the purest manifestation of Altera's true nature.
As a civilization-destroying weapon from outer space, this Noble Phantasm was her trump card.
It was both Anti-Army and Anti-Fortress, ranked at A++, a terrifying strike whose power rivaled even that of the Holy Sword.
Now, at last, Altera unleashed this Noble Phantasm.
"Flare Effects—connecting with Mars."
Altera's cold, clear voice resounded across the battlefield.
"Firing in two seconds."
Like a chant, she inverted the Sword of Mars in her hands, pointing its hilt toward the turbulent sky.
"O War God, curse me—O Tears of the Star."
From the hilt of Altera's Sword of Mars, a pillar of light suddenly burst forth, lancing straight into the heavens.
"Vrrrrrrrrrmmmm————!"
The next instant, massive, mountain-sized magical circles spun into existence in the sky, their muzzles aimed down at Tiamat.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!"
Sensing danger, Tiamat prepared to counterattack.
But the moment Rozen saw Altera's move, how could he allow Tiamat the chance?
"Injunction Shackles!"
Dazzling spiritual energy surged from Rozen's body, compressed High-Grade Mana erupting skyward like a golden storm.
"Claaang, claaang, claaang!"
Receiving that vast High-Grade Mana, colossal silver-white chains tore through the void, coiling one after another around Tiamat, binding her tightly.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!"
Tiamat thrashed in fury, straining against the chains with deafening force.
"Roooar!"
Before she could break free, Hokuto swooped down with a thunderous roar, his draconic body wrapping around her form, joining the Injunction Shackles in restraining her.
Nor was Hokuto alone: the other Beast Vassals too hurled themselves recklessly at her—some biting her arms, some clinging to her body, some seizing her legs, others even yanking at her vast horns. Each used its body as a living shackle.
Under the restraint of twelve Beast Vassals, one divine dragon, and countless chains, Tiamat was bound immovably, unable to break free.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa————!!"
Her furious howls shook the air as she struggled madly.
In response, countless Laḫmu surged toward them.
"Release Mother!"
"Release her, you inferior creatures!"
"Let her go!"
Enraged at what they perceived as blasphemy, the Laḫmu hurled themselves in attack against Rozen's familiars.
But though his familiars could not destroy Tiamat, they were beyond the reach of these mud-born abominations. Even when standing still, weathering the Laḫmu's blows, they remained utterly unharmed.
Meanwhile, in the sky, within the colossal magic circles resembling alien cannons, staggering amounts of High-Grade Mana gathered.
Altera did not waste this chance. Watching as Rozen's familiars and Beast Vassals held Tiamat down, her eyes flickered briefly before she resolutely activated her trump card.
"Teardrop Photon Ray!"
From the enormous magic arrays above, boundless High-Grade Mana was unleashed.
The mana became a titanic pillar of light, descending from the heavens, burning through the atmosphere and rending apart the clouds as it struck downward.
In that instant, all felt the sky flare white; all sight was drowned in brilliance. Then the colossal light pillar slammed into Tiamat.
"BOOOOOOOM————!!"
The roar was like the upheaval of the earth's crust itself.
Tiamat was engulfed in the pillar, her vast body smoking and writhing in silent screams.
The chains binding her were the first to evaporate.
One by one, the Beast Vassals too were obliterated, vanishing without trace.
Even Rozen's familiars, though not destroyed outright by Tiamat, could not withstand the devastating blast of an A++ Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm imbued with destructive properties. They were annihilated in an instant.
And still the pillar burned on, consuming Tiamat without end. The heat radiated outward in waves, painting the world in blinding white, reducing all things to vapor.
The black mud around her was burned away entirely, the earth itself cracking and collapsing, as though the planet had been pierced by a beam from the stars.
The sheer spectacle left the people of Uruk speechless.
Even in the city, the scorching heat reached them—drenching them in sweat, parching their throats, leaving them gasping. Such was the power of that strike.
Infused with destructive properties and bolstered by Rozen's immense High-Grade Mana, the attack rivaled even an Anti-Planetary Orbital Cannon.
"Urgh…!"
Rozen raised the black feathered cloak about his body, shielding himself against the blazing winds, his gaze never leaving Tiamat.
Altera too kept her eyes locked on the goddess, bathed in the pillar of light.
And from Chaldea came the reports, one after another:
"Beast II's Saint Graph reaction decreasing drastically!"
"Dropping at a rate of 1.1% per second!"
"Target Saint Graph still 50% away!"
"49%!"
"48%!"
"47%!"
"It's still falling!"
Roman and Da Vinci's voices trembled with both tension and expectation.
For when the value reached zero, Tiamat's Saint Graph would be reduced to a scale at which she could be sealed.
"Faster… just a little faster…!"
Olga Marie's voice wavered with impatience, almost a prayer.
Thus, Altera's strongest Noble Phantasm continued its merciless bombardment, burning away at Tiamat's Saint Graph.
Before their very eyes, Tiamat's Saint Graph steadily declined, finally dropping below 20%.
But at the same time, the light of the pillar began to dim.
"…!"
Rozen and Altera's faces both changed at once.
At last, when the Saint Graph reached 13%, the light vanished completely.
From within the fading brilliance, that colossal silhouette emerged once more.